Thousands more evacuated as lava spreads around Mayon Volcano

Enrico Dela Cruz, Reuters

Mayon Volcano's crater glows, as it is pictured from Daraga, Albay, the Philippines on January 14, 2018. Romulo Quinto Ceneta/via Reuters

MANILA - Government officials ordered the forced evacuation of people from two more municipalities near a restive volcano on Monday as the chief volcanologist warned of a possible hazardous eruption "within weeks or even within days".

More than 12,000 residents have already fled to evacuation centers after the 2,462-meter (8,077-foot) Mayon Volcano, in central Albay province, began spewing ash on Saturday and unleashed burning mud and rocks on Sunday.

"There is an ongoing forced evacuation from the municipalities of Daraga and Legazpi because of the lava flow," Romina Marasigan, spokeswoman for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, told reporters.

"The lava flow has reached some areas around three kilometers away from the volcano."